Various embodiments of flow regulators have been used for a long time. The task of the flow regulators is mostly to reduce the rate of flow of water in order to save water and thus ultimately costs as a result. The flow regulators are usually screwed on water taps instead of the usual diffusor or on a shower fitting between the shower fitting and the shower hose. The general design of the flow regulator is always the same. The flow cross section for the water is reduced by a throttle in the flow regulator, so that only a smaller amount of water can flow through. The drawback of the prior-art flow regulators is that the rate of flow also varies as a function of the admission pressure, i.e., the water pressure prevailing in the water pipe. For example, the water pressure in the municipal water system decreases greatly during the morning hours, when the shower is used in many households, so that the rate of flow available is already reduced greatly. This is reduced further by the prior-art flow regulator, so that the rate of flow available is often no longer sufficient for, e.g., taking a shower. At times when little water is consumed, the water pressure in the municipal water system is, in contrast, very high, so that a correspondingly high rate of flow is available. The rate of flow is frequently still so high in this case despite the prior-art flow regulators that it could be further reduced. A compromise must always be made between phases of low pressure and phases of high pressure in the case of the prior-art flow regulators. Therefore, the prior-art devices do not actually deserve the name flow regulator, but they should be more accurately called flow limiters.